From 1996 to 2005, Living Legends were one of the most prolific, critically acclaimed and just plain dope acts in hip-hop, releasing four official albums and a whole bunch of mixtapes, compilations, EPs and singles.

Along the way, the California-based octet — Aesop, Bicasso, Eligh, The Grouch, Luckyiam, Scarab, Sunspot Jonz and Murs — toured all over, built a sizable fan base and sold an eye-popping number of records for an indie act, establishing the group as a DIY success and a giant of West Coast rap.

And then, after the release of 2005’s “Classic,” Living Legends scattered and largely disappeared as a unit, instead focusing on their busy solo careers.

There was no major reason — no unresolvable beef or logistical obstacle, said The Grouch in a recent interview with The Bulletin. As Luckyiam recently told Rock the Bells, “Life happened.”

Now, life has brought the group back together, much to the delight of those who dig their head-nodding beats, clever rhymes, laid-back vibes and independent spirit. On the day after Thanksgiving, Living Legends released “The Return,” its first album in 18 years. Featuring guest spots by Del the Funky Homosapien, Atmosphere and Brother Ali (among others) and production by Amplive, Tope, Statik Selektah and more, the new album sits comfortably alongside the group’s best work from back in the day.

On Friday, Living Legends will come to Bend for a co-headlining show with Brother Ali. And recently, GO! caught up with The Grouch to talk about the reunion and how it happened. Here is that conversation, edited for space and clarity.

GO: The big question is quite simple: Why now?

The Grouch: Well, there are two reasons, really. One is just that in general I missed hanging with my guys and being in the studio with them and doing work with them. When we get together, what happens is that we laugh so much, and I laugh with those guys in a way that I don’t with other people. We all get each others’ sense of humor and we know each others’ history like brothers. There’s something healing about just getting together and laughing.

The other reason is that we’ve lost some important people in hip-hop over the years, and in my life specifically — guys like Zumbi of Zion I and Gift of Gab from Blackalicious were two big ones. And I don’t personally know De La Soul, but they lost Trugoy the Dove. And that got me thinking about the idea that, you know, they’ll never have the full group together to make a De La Soul album or a Zion I album or a Blackalicious album again.

So I feel blessed and grateful that all my guys are still here, and I know that’s not going to be forever. So that was a huge catalyst to create new stuff, because I thought, “What are we here to do?” One of our purposes is to create art and put it into the world. I just really wanted to get back to that.

GO: Were you the guy that lit the match and said, “Hey, let’s really try to do this”?

The Grouch: Some of the backstory is that a lot of the other guys in the group have young families and new babies and toddlers, and there are only a couple of us who don’t — my daughter is 17 now and Sunspot Jonz doesn’t have kids. So I’ve been working a lot with him. He’s one of my O.G. brothers in the group and he went on tour with me not this past summer but the summer before that. And we just connected in a space where we’re like, “We should do another Legends album.” So he and I started cultivating that idea. I would say we fed off each other’s energy to make it happen.

GO: So how did it happen?

The Grouch: Oh man, we looked at a few different places, but we ended up renting a house in the desert in California and set up studios in there and that’s how it happened. It was so much fun. We cooked meals and hung out, mostly. We called it “rap camp.” And we woke up every day and turned on the beat machines and got to it. In about a week’s time, we had started 15 songs.

GO: That sounds like the kind of thing you all should get together and do every other year or something.

The Grouch: The thing that I said was that to me, this album is not, like, “Here’s our magnum opus and this is it.” To me, it’s like the start of a new ball rolling, and I don’t want to stop with it. As a matter of fact, I’m bringing the recording equipment on this tour and we’ll see what we can get done on some of the off days.

If You Go

What: Living Legends and Brother Ali, with Reverie and Hobbyist

When: 8 p.m. Friday, doors open 7 p.m.

Cost: $35

Where: Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend

Contact: midtownballroom.com.